Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 101

Here Comes the Judge

Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod , owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

“I’m right, right, right, and you’re wrong, wrong, wrong.”

It was the litany of the Rigney household. My brilliant, narcissistic, schizophrenic father must have said it to Mom and the four of us kids at least daily. Some of us dealt with it by attempting to prove him right. Others dealt with it by exacting perfection, or as close as we could come to it, from ourselv...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Rose of Viterbo

The Basics:Born circa 1235 in Italy; died March 6, 1252, in Italy; canonized in 1457 byPope Callistus III; feast day, September 4. Mystic.

The Story:Rose must have been some powerful young orator. She was a teenager when she and her family were expelled from Viterbo because of her outspokenness against the German emperor who held the town and in favor of the pope. She predicted the emperor’s death about a month before it occurred. After the family returned home, she tried to join a convent, bu...

Returning Catholics FAQs: About the Devil

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

Is there really a devil?

While the one we know as Satan or the devil began as a good angel, that angel chose, as can any of us, to reject God. The Catechism counsels us that while S...

Being Christ in Our Lives: Pam Spano

Pragmatic. Positive. Passionate. Those are the words that come to mind when I think of Pam Spano, who owns Being Catholic… Really. You’ll find her in a number of places online, including herblog page,Facebook, andTwitter.

When Pam, who converted to Catholicism more than thirty years ago, and her husband weren’t being fed at their parish, they didn’t sit and whine and complain or stop going to Mass. Instead, they sought out the right fit… and found it at St. Therese Catholic Mission in Chicago’...

On the Nightstand: September

I’m going to be traveling quite a bit in the coming weeks, so I went looking for something I could read on my Kindle. I wanted something not toodeep, but also not too “pop.”

The Gifts of Imperfectionby Brene Brown with its ten guideposts for personal introspection seemed to fit the bill.While I’ve gotten past thinking (most of the time) that other people need to be perfect, I still struggle with God delighting in me as I am as I strive to grow closer to Him.

What’s on your nightstand?

The Message of the Cross–and Baptism

Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod , owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

Do you remember who baptized you? If you were baptized as an adult, most likely. But if you were an infant, probably not, unless your parents were friends with the priest or he went on to serve for many more years in your community.

And really, isn’t that the way it should be? It’s not about the person who provided the sacrament, but rather the Lord to whom it bound...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Monica

The Basics:Born circa 331 in what is now Algeria; died 387 in Italy; canonized precongregation; feast day, August 27. Wife and mother.

The Story:Monica’s story resonates with many women today. While she succeeded relatively quickly in her efforts to convert her husband and mother-in-law to Christianity, her son Augustine was a far different story. He lived a profligate life and resisted her efforts for seventeen years. Eventually, her praying and arguments and tears and pleas–and some divine i...

Returning Catholics FAQs: Churchspeak

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

I’ve gone to Mass a couple times, and I’m thinking about coming back, but it’s like people are speaking a different language. What’s ministry? What’s an ambo? What’s a charism? Wha...

Of Dry Bones

Note: On Fridays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod , owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

Back on the Fourth of July weekend, I clanged some exercise equipment on my right ankle. It swelled up and turned black and blue, but I still could walk without any pain. Now here it is practically Labor Day, and my ankle still has a goose egg on it, albeit smaller and minus the colors of the rainbows. I suppose I should go see the doctor anyway, but I keep putting...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Clare of Montefalco

The Basics:Born circa 1268 in Italy; died August 18, 1308, in Italy; canonized December 8, 1881, by Pope July 16, 1767, by Pope Leo XIII; feast day, August 17. Woman religious, mystic.

The Story:By the timeClaire was in her mid-twenties, she had lived in a religious community for many years. She was serving as abbess in 1294 when Jesus appeared to her as a worn-out, burdened traveler, struggling with the weight of his cross. She offered to help. Clare suffered greatly in the remaining 14 years...